Rawalpindi-Riyadh embrace

BRUCE RIEDEL, fellow at Brookings' Saban Center states that understanding the Saudi-Pakistani relationship was important to understand the future of both the countries, the nuclear balance in Near East and South Asia and the crisis in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia today.
In an op-ed for Force, "Enduring Allies", he states that Riyadh-Rawalpindi relationship was a longstanding, intimate alliance, with a decades-old strategic military relationship, an as yet unacknowledged nuclear partnership to provide Riyadh with a nuclear deterrent at short notice, if needed.
He states that Pakistan was the largest recipient of Saudi aid outside the Arab world and the Pakistani madarsa system was funded by the kingdom's Wahabbi clergy while Rawalpindi provided military expertise and resources, augmented by close intelligence and security relations and apprehensions about a Shia Iran.
He concludes that turmoil both in the Arab World as well as Pakistan and tensions with Washington were impelling the House of Saud and Pakistan towards even closer partnership.

Blueprint for enhancing U.S.-India cooperation

ROBERT BLACKWILL and NARESH CHANDRA, co-chairs of the Joint Study Group sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations and Aspen Institute India recommend Washington to express strong support New Delhi's peaceful rise as a crucial component of Asian security and stability, and call for both countries to endorse a long term residual U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014 and advocate a resumption of regular meetings of the Quad states (U.S., India, Japan and Australia) as well as periodic invitations to like-minded Asian nations.

Their report, "The United States and India: A Shared Strategic Future", covers areas such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Middle East, economic and defense co-operation, climate change, energy technology and makes the following key recommendations:

On Pakistan:

• Classified exchanges between U.S. and India on multiple Pakistan contingencies
• Conditioning U.S. military aid to Pakistan on concrete anti-terrorist measures by the Pakistan military against groups inimical to India and the U.S. in Afghanistan
• U.S. to provide technical assistance to Pakistan to protect its nuclear arsenal
• India to continue bilateral negotiations with Pakistan on issues including Kashmir and trilateral discussions with Afghanistan

On Afghanistan

• India to intensify multidimensional co-operation with Afghanistan.
• Determine usefulness of Indian training of Afghanistan security forces

On China and Asia:

• Jointly and individually enlist China’s cooperation on matters of global and regional concern and not desire confrontation with Beijing.
• Brief each other on their assessments of China and intensify consultations on Asian security.

On the Middle East:

• Collaborate on democratic transitions in the Middle East—with Arab interest and agreement.
• India to intensify discussions with Iran concerning the stability of Iraq and Afghanistan.

On economic cooperation:

• Enhance their Strategic Dialogue to include economics and trade.
• Begin discussions on a free trade agreement.

On climate change and energy technology, the collaboration should:

• Bridge disagreements and identify creative areas for collaboration.
• Conduct joint feasibility study on space-based solar power.

On defense cooperation, the United States should:

• Train and provide expertise to the Indian military in areas such as space and cyberspace operations where India’s defense establishment is currently weak, but its civil and private sector has strengths.
• The United States to help strengthen India’s indigenous defense industry.

Roadmap for Pakistan

HASSAN ABBAS of the Asia Society and a team of American and Pakistani experts focus on Pakistan’s internal crises and define a road map for establishing stability, a sustainable democratic order, and a pluralistic society as a way to strengthen and develop the country in service of its population.
In their study group report, "PAKISTAN 2020 A Vision for Building a Better Future", they focus on seven core issues i.e. democratic institutions, rule of law, human development, energy, assistance to flood victims, internal security and peace with India.
They call for international assistance to support Pakistan keeping in mind its historical insecurity, while providing assistance in reforming its civil institutions, democracy and in addressing regional tensions.

Pakistan’s demographic genie

SHAHID JAVED BURKI, former finance minister of Pakistan reviews the trends in Pakistan’s demographics and population policies in the wake of its six-fold growth in population since its inception in 1947 with a forecast of a further doubling over the next four decades for “Reaping the Dividend”, a joint study by Woodrow Wilson center’s Asia program and the fellowship fund of Pakistan.

In his wide-ranging essay titled “Historical trends in Pakistan’s demographics and population policy”, he reviews the historical trends in Pakistan’s population trajectory, the effects of large-scale migration and diasporas, growth projections, rapid urbanization and alternate future scenarios of reaping either a demographic dividend or a catastrophe for the population, which, at a median age of 21 was one of the youngest in the world.

He states that it was imperative for Islamabad to conduct a population census coupled with a household survey and then design an urban policy to enhance the human capital of the population and also address the issues arising out of rapid urbanization, failure of which would result in a high cost for Pakistan.